Research that Benefits Children and Families - Uplifting Stories

I have had the opportunity to work with another teacher who spent some time researching an entire group of 4th graders in the school where he was working and the effects of free and reduced lunch and academic achievement vs paid Lunch and academic achievement. After completing a survey which measured a variety of issues concerning their homelife, he was able to take this information and use it to supplement specifically where needs existed. Some of the questions that were asked were: 1. Number of parents in the home. 2. What kind of help they received? (if any.) 3. What kinds of food they typically ate? (any nutritional value or not) 4. Was there technology in the home? 5. What their neighborhood community and housing was like? After conducting this research, he was able to take this information and share it with a support team where they were able to identify what their needs were. This information did show that the children that were identified as free and reduced lunch scored lower and struggled more academically, whereas the students that were full pay scored much higher and achieved greater success academically. I did ask him if the students and their families were informed about this research and if they understood that this information would be shared with a support group at his school, and he shared that he had sent a letter to all the families of his students and that they were required to sign and return the consent form which he has kept on file. There were no photographs taken and no names were shared through his research, only the number of students and their status of free and reduced vs paid lunches. I appreciate the research study that he did and know that there can be many other factors that can be related to academic issues. All children need to be given the opportunity to succeed, but through identifying where we can apply our focus and individualize these needs, hopefully we can work together and help bring these children through this time in their educational journey so that history does not continue to repeat itself.